Christmas rush strategy; Traffic chiefs draw up masterplan.

Byline: By ROB PATTINSON

A TRAFFIC plan is being launched to reduce Christmas time congestion as more than 250,000 extra shoppers and revellers prepare to pour into Newcastle.

To deal with the expected influx, transport providers have joined forces with Newcastle City Council and the police to create a "congestion hot desk" in the hope of reducing hold-ups.

Already on board with the plan are all the bus operators in the city and Metro providers Nexus.

The strategy is set to see the council staffing its CCTV and parking guidance system for extended hours throughout December.

Any road troubles they spot will be quickly reported to the Northumbria Police hot desk, which will be ready to respond to the problems.

Committed to keeping the city moving is Newcastle City Council's group manager for traffic and transport Peter Whiteman.

He said: "We're trying to actively manage the congestion in the city. This is the first year we've approached it in this fashion and we're hopeful it's going to be a great success.

"There can be lots of congestion in the city centre, especially with all the regeneration that's been going on.

"Our main aim is to prepare shoppers so commercial interests in the city don't lose out. It's important everyone can get in and out.

"There are lots of parking spaces in Newcastle but people need to watch the electronic signs. We're going to do our best to help anyone travelling in and out of Newcastle over Christmas."

This service will operate throughout the busy Christmas period as the council and its partners seek to ensure that car park traffic and general traffic flow is effectively managed.

The initiative has been set up to benefit the whole city and encourage as many visitors as possible into its shopping areas.

Car parks and taxi queues are also both being addressed, with the council and Northumbria Police setting out additional cover from attendants and traffic wardens.

Nexus has also committed to providing extra staff on the Metro and up to 50 extra train journeys a day throughout December.

This means trains will be running every four minutes through Newcastle City Centre during the daytime and every six minutes during evenings up to 8pm and on Sundays.

The council has also introduced temporary measures to allow Christmas shoppers to park in Grainger Town for a reduced price of pounds 3 per day from Monday, December 17.